Taniya Mishra and Amanda Stent on Pathways to Artificial Intelligence
Dec 6, 2023
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Dr. Amanda Stent and Dr. Taniya Mishra discuss AI pathways and the collaboration between Colby College and Sure Start. They highlight the importance of creating pathways to bring more people into AI and ML, the role of interdisciplinary approaches in teaching computational thinking, and the significance of an entrepreneurial mindset in the field. They also explore Sure Start, an AI-focused education startup, and discuss the importance of ethics in AI and responsible AI principles.
The Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Colby College promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and AI education across the curriculum, emphasizing ethical development and diversifying the field.
Sure Start, founded by Dr. Tanya Mishra, partners with Colby College to provide AI-focused education programs for students, aiming to democratize AI education and empower students with accessible AI skills and entrepreneurial mindsets.
Deep dives
Creation of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence
Colby College established the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence with the aim of introducing young people to the power of working with AI. The institute focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration to integrate AI education across the curriculum. Dr. Amanda Stent serves as the director of the institute and has been working closely with Dr. Tanya Mishra, the founder and CEO of Sure Start.
Personal journeys in AI and ML
Both Dr. Stent and Dr. Mishra have developed a deep interest in AI and ML. Dr. Stent became captivated by the concept of AI in high school and pursued further study in the field, eventually joining Colby College to lead the Davis Institute. Dr. Mishra discovered her passion for AI through a project focused on making computing accessible to individuals with visual impairments. She pursued a PhD in computer science and later founded Sure Start to democratize AI education.
The Davis Institute's approach and impact
The Davis Institute aims to foster AI literacy among all students, regardless of their discipline. It emphasizes ethical AI development and diversifying the field, welcoming individuals from various backgrounds. The institute collaborates with Colby faculty to integrate AI into their research projects and course offerings, spanning departments such as biology and East Asian studies. Additionally, the Sure Start partnership with Colby provides AI-focused education programs for students, empowering them with accessible AI skills and entrepreneurial mindsets.
This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with American Student Assistance (ASA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Family Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education’s status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what’s next.
On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by Dr. Amanda Stent, director of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and Dr Taniya Mishra, founder and CEO of SureStart. Administered by Colby’s Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship, the summer-long SureStart curriculum at Colby evolved from a longtime friendship between the two guests.
The Davis Institute for AI facilitates interdisciplinary, human-centered scholarship using rich datasets with real-world consequences and prepares students for a future where AI is transforming industries, careers, and modes of discovery, creativity, and scholarship.
A new generation of ethical AI designers spent eight weeks at Colby this summer for a start-up boot camp called SureStart. In addition to nine rising sophomores from Colby, the program attracted four students from partner school Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the nation’s first degree-granting historically black college or university. The program aimed to teach students with an interest in AI skills to develop a well-researched and market-ready product that solves a real-world problem with a convenient and cost-effective solution. Students also had the opportunity to work with SureStart mentors including partners from organizations such as Alethea, Lockheed Martin, and Bloomberg Second Measure.
This episode highlights the programs and connections that got this initiative started.